Chapter 5 Good things happen to good people

On the shallow slope ahead, an old man in his sixties was pulling a two-wheeled cart with difficulty. The cart was full of things, but no one knew what they were.

The wheels seemed to have sunk into a hole. The shoulder straps and the old man's veins were all tense. The cart didn't move at all, but he didn't dare let go, for fear that the cart would slide and the things on it would fall.

Seeing this, Chen Shiyi quickly ran over and gave it a push.

She has been working since she was young and is very strong.

The two of them finally pushed the two-wheeled vehicle out, and Chen Shiyi was sweating all over.

She panted, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and prepared to leave.

The old man called her and spread out a big sweet potato in his hands, which were covered with silk.

Chen Shiyi was indeed a little overwhelmed by the favor.

"No need, I'm not of much help, you can keep it for yourself."

The old man smiled kindly.

"Girl, take it, don't complain."

Chen Shiyi took the sweet potato tremblingly and was deeply moved.

"Thank you."

Sure enough, good intentions are always rewarded.

The road was muddy and difficult to travel on, and the officials were all suffering.

On the road to exile, the order from the superiors was to walk fifty miles every day and reach the place of exile within twenty-five days, otherwise his life would be in danger.

This is actually a tough job. The distance is too short, the time is not long, there is no profit to be made, and not many people will die.

Moreover, this group of people were designated by the higher-ups as those who should not be troubled. Moreover, they did not dare to offend those who were exiled to Fangling.

It was getting dark and we still had about ten miles to go.

It seems that we have to rest here and add another ten miles tomorrow.

Choosing a slightly flat place, the Wen family sat quietly around a campfire.

Several women broke off some branches and wiped the mud off their shoes. The chains rustled as their hands shook.

All the fatigue and resentment in my body were now vented on my shoes.

The police officer who was resting not far away was annoyed by the loud noise and started cursing.

"If you make any more noise, you won't get to eat!"

Instantly, all the ringing of chains became silent.

Wen Zhiheng's shackles were locked and sealed, and could not be removed at all. He leaned against a dry tree trunk, closed his eyes and rested.

Occasionally, he would open his eyes to look at the people from the Wen family, and when he glanced sideways, he saw the maid picking up firewood by herself and sitting around a campfire, as if she didn't want to interact with them at all.

She fumbled for the big sweet potato she had gotten from the old man today and threw it into the fire to roast. Suddenly, she heard a voice calling out to her.

"Why did you lose your food?"

Chen Shiyi looked up and saw that the young lady of the Wen family had a look of pity on her face. He found her behavior inconceivable.

Wen Zhiyuan, who was standing beside him, quickly rounded up the conversation.

"Rou'er, roasting sweet potatoes means roasting them in the fire, not throwing them away."

When the lady heard this, she looked embarrassed and a little ashamed.

Chen Shiyi did not reply. He just stayed quietly beside the campfire, trying to make the fire burn as brightly as possible.

The dinner was too little. Each person was given two small, black wheat cakes, which were not enough to fill their stomachs.

Soon, the sweet aroma of sweet potatoes filled the air, and in the exile team, the sound of people swallowing saliva could be heard one after another.

Chen Shiyi opened the roasted sweet potato and took a careful bite. It was sweet and hot. After swallowing it, he felt warm all over and felt extremely comfortable.

Suddenly, a soft and sticky voice sounded in my ears.

"Sister, I want to eat too."

Chen Shiyi looked up and saw a little boy named Ruier standing in front of him, his eyes glowing green and his mouth watering.

She peeled off half from the other side and handed it to Ruier.

"Eat carefully, be careful not to burn yourself."

"Thank you, sister."

Ruier took two bites cautiously, then lowered his head and spoke in a low voice.

"Sister, can I give grandma a bite?"

Chen Shiyi didn't expect Rui'er to ask this. She raised her eyes and glanced at the Wen family.

In fact, she was unwilling to do so. Sometimes, as you give, you will go from being grateful at the beginning to taking it for granted later.

Naturally, she didn't want to embarrass a child's filial piety towards his grandmother.

"These are yours now. It's up to you to decide who you want to give them to."

She took a deep breath and rubbed her wrists and ankles that were hurt by the chains, but then she heard footsteps getting closer and closer.

Chen Shiyi looked up and immediately stood up.

The officer on the opposite side looked Chen Shiyi up and down, frowning slightly.

"Did you make those ropes?"

Chen Shiyi was still a little timid when facing these officials. In the capital, the kind ones are officials, and the fierce ones are clerks.

In the past, when she followed Lu Er Niang to the market in the town, she would bow and nod whenever she met the clerks who collected money.

Lu Erniang, such a fierce person, acted as obedient as a domesticated cat in front of these people. It shows how powerful these people are.

Chen Shiyi was a little nervous.

"yes!"

"Pick a few more. We'll need them tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave, and Chen Shiyi hurriedly shouted.

"Sir, but..."

The officer turned around with a gloomy look on his face.

"Why? You don't want to?"

Chen Shiyi waved his hands hurriedly.

"No, it's just..."

The officer interrupted Chen Shiyi and pointed his finger at the Wen family and asked.

"Are you in league with them?"

Chen Shiyi nodded reluctantly.

"Once you have fixed the rope, I will take off your handcuffs and leg chains. Go back to work and I will not let you down."

Chen Shiyi was so happy that his heart almost jumped out of his chest after hearing this, but...

"Sir, the rope needs to be cut, and I don't have a knife..."

Without a knife, it would take a long time to pull out the weeds. Even if you were a good weaver or a long-suffering person, you wouldn't be able to weave that many ropes by tomorrow.

It was impossible for the officer to give the knife directly to Chen Shiyi, so he frowned and walked forward, seemingly discussing the matter with other officers.

After a while, the officer came towards Chen Shiyi again and handed her a curved knife, which no one knew where it came from.

This time, Chen Shiyi worked really hard.

In the past, if she did not do her job well, she would only scold her when Lu Erniang was in a good mood. If she was in a bad mood, not having food to eat was the least of her punishment. She would be hit by the soft bamboo strips in the corner, which would hurt her heart. In that family, no matter how well she did her job, she would not be praised.

But now it’s different. She benefits from the work she does.

As long as I can hold on tonight, those painful bracelets and shackles can be removed tomorrow.

The torches inserted nearby swayed in the wind. Chen Shiyi worked hard to cut the grass. While weaving the grass ropes, he raised the corners of his mouth slightly and hummed a folk tune from his hometown.

After enduring a whole night, in the dim morning light, I finally managed to weave the pile of dry grass into ropes.

Chen Shiyi looked at his red right palm with red eyes. The skin was broken in several places. After his left hand was bandaged for burns, the bandage was wrapped around his hand tightly, which avoided new injuries.

It doesn’t matter. I’ve experienced much more pain than this before.

When Chen Shiyi thought that he would be able to remove his bracelets and anklets soon, he felt that staying up late last night was not hard at all.